Cord Blood Awareness Month

July is Cord blood Awareness Month! We couldn’t be happier that a full month has been dedicated to raising awareness about this precious resource and all its potential! Here’s a quick rundown of  what is cord blood and the incredible benefits of cord blood- current and emerging!

What is Cord Blood?

• Cord blood is a rich source of non-controversial stem cells that have the potential to develop into all blood cell types, including oxygen-carrying red blood cells and disease-fighting immune cells.
• Cord blood is obtained from your baby’s umbilical cord at birth, after the cord has been cut.
• Cord blood collection is a fast, painless and risk-free procedure that your healthcare provider can perform so that the precious stem cells are not discarded as medical waste. 

5 benefits of Cord Blood Banking

1. Used today in the treatment of over 80 life threatening diseases

The cord blood stem cells found in your baby’s banked cord blood have the unique ability to mature and develop into all types of blood cells. They can be used for transplantation in place of bone marrow in the treatment of over 80 diseases including cancers, genetic diseases, immune deficiencies and blood disorders.²⁸ Cord blood stem cells have been used in more than 35,000 transplants worldwide to date.⁷

2. Public Banking Limitations

In 2013, Canadian Blood Services began accepting anonymous donations from women delivering at four hospitals:

• Ottawa- at the Ottawa Hospital General and Civic campuses
• Brampton (Greater Toronto Area)- at the William Osler Health System’s Brampton Civic Hospital
• Edmonton- at the Alberta Health Services’ Lois Hole Hospital for Women
• Vancouver- at the BC Women’s Hospital and Health Care

If you are delivering at a different hospital, you will not be able to donate to the National Public Cord Bank. Donated units are listed on an international registry and, therefore, may not be available for your family.

3. A perfect match for your child, and potential match for a sibling

In addition to investing in your baby’s future, banking your child’s cord blood could help your whole family, too. Banking your baby’s cord blood guarantees a perfect genetic match for your child, lowers the chance of transplant rejection and may even provide a suitable match for a family member in need. Furthermore, not only does banking your baby’s cord blood with Insception Lifebank ensure that the ongoing medical history of the donor known to the family but also that the sample is available immediately, if needed.

4. Low Risk, High Reward

Cord blood stem cells have the potential to treat an ever-growing list of illnesses. Clinical trials are underway around the world to determine whether cord blood may be useful in the treatment of many diseases including: Autism, Acquired Hearing Loss, Type 1 Diabetes, Cerebral Palsy, Pediatric Brain Injury, Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, Metabolic Disorders and Spinal Cord Injury.⁸ Banking today is an investment in tomorrow.

5. Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

Some opportunities only come around once in a lifetime. Banking cord blood for your baby is an opportunity that won’t come again. This precious resource holds world of possibility and has the potential to provide for your baby’s ongoing good health. At Insception Lifebank we are committed to helping you do the most you can to protect and nurture you baby. Banking cord blood with us means that, should the unthinkable happen to your child or a family member, you have options. You have hope.

Choose Insception Lifebank to help you keep your promise:

Above all, we want you to consider banking your baby’s cord blood. And, we truly believe that if you bank with us, you’ll be in the most capable hands.

Here’s what makes us different:

• Experience. Insception Lifebank was founded nearly 20 years ago and remains, to this day, Canada’s largest cord blood program.
• Competence. We know how to do things right. We’ve released more cord blood units than all other Canadian Cord Blood Banks combined!
• Credibility. We work with the best! Our partnerships include many leading medical and research institutions including Mount Sinai Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and The Scarborough Hospital.
• Stability. Insception Lifebank is financially stable with solid corporate governance. You can trust us as a constant in a continuously evolving medical environment.
• Commitment to research and education. We are the leaders in providing education and awareness about the current and potential uses of cord stem cells and overall stem cell advances.

Click here to learn more about banking your baby’s cord blood with Insception Lifebank.